Arts projects throughout NSW develop artistic ability
The Honourable Paul Lynch, Minister for Disability Services will officially launch the Don’t DIS my ABILITY campaign for Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC), Department of Human Services NSW, on Thursday 3 December 2009 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, followed by an accessible guided tour at the gallery.
This year’s Don’t DIS my ABILITY campaign sees an increasing number of arts events, projects and activities underway throughout the state. Accessible Arts will be attending over twenty quality events in metropolitan and regional NSW to show support for the campaign and celebrate International Day of People with Disability.
Damien Conte, Janet Diane and Jared Younger are three independent artists with disabilities, whose creative aspirations in visual art, theatre and film making have been nurtured by 2009 Accessible Arts Small Arts Grants as part of the Don’t DIS my ABILITY campaign.
Jhana Bowen, arts worker based in the far north coast of NSW has been mentoring visual artist Damien Conte to produce a solo exhibition, Breaking Ground. Jhana said “Here is a young man communicating so richly through his art. His verbal communication is limited, making direct conversation difficult due to his Autism. His art speaks of his optimism, his spark for life.”
In Fairfield, Western Sydney, Janet Diane will perform her first solo show I Love You at Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT). In its second-stage of creative development, PYT have been supporting Jane to write her first performance based on her life experience. Janet explains, “I want to show the audience some of the many challenges I faced through my life and what I had to overcome to succeed in life with my abilities.”
In Albury, filmmaker Helen Newman who has been mentoring budding filmmaker Jared Younger said “Working with Jared has been delightful, his ideas are interesting … he keeps coming up with new ways of seeing things and has shown great aptitude for the editing process.”
Other regional events supported by the small grants project include the Tra La La Blip remix project in Lismore and Drumming to your own Beat in Byron Bay. Both of these projects will be presenting at the Alstonville Showground and Leisure Centre in a day long event showcasing community initiatives from the far north coast region.